WestJet Encore (Calgary) yesterday (June 24) celebrated its first birthday, just days before the eastern operations launch with flights between Thunder Bay, Ontario, and Toronto (Pearson).

The regional airline, which took to the skies on June 24, 2013, has enjoyed tremendous support from the many communities that now have regular air service, and the many more that now boast better schedules, more frequency, and more options with respect to carriers and destinations.

In the twelve months since WestJet Encore took to the skies, it has added 12 destinations to the original six, which included Calgary, Alberta, Fort St. John, Nanaimo, Vancouver, and Victoria, British Columbia and Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. The fleet of Bombardier Q400 NextGen aircraft will have grown from two to 13 by the end of June.

On Friday, June 27, WestJet Encore will officially launch east-bound service with four daily, nonstop flights between Thunder Bay and Toronto.

Copyright Photo: TMK Photography/AirlinersGallery.com. Bombardier DHC-8-402 (Q400) C-FIWE (msn 4466) sits on the ramp at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport (YYZ).